Car-lighting system.



5 w. Mauss.. cw mamme SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I. IISJ l Patented July 3, 1917n 2 SHEETS- SHEET I w. L. BLISS. ,Y C'AB LIGHTING SYS'IIEIII.

APPLICATION FILED IMI.

Patented July 3, 1917,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATES VJELLA L. BLSS, 0F NIAGRA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSGTOlt, BY MESNE ASSGN- MENTS, TO 'U'. S. LIGHT & HEAT CORPOR-ATIGN', OF NAGRA. FALLS, NEW YORK, EL

CRPOBATION OF NEW YORK.

CAR-LIGHTING SYSTEM.

LZSLQQL To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, vVlinnmivr L. Buss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara. and State of New York, have invented new and useful improvements in Car-Lighting Sys'- tems, or" which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part oi' this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car lighting systems. t

Car lighting systems generally employ, as the source of current, an axle driven gener alor and a storage battery which' is-chargedv by the generator when the generator Voltage is suiiiciently high and which supplies the lamps alone when the train is at rest oris running at a low speed. An automatic switch provides for connecting and disconnecting the generator and battery under predetermined conditions. This automatic switch is generally designed to connect the generator to the system when the 'generator voltage substantially equals the battery voltage.- ln such a system the voltage necessary to properly charge the battery isA considerably higher than the voltage which the battery is able to supply to the lamps. linmediately aiiter the' automatic switch closes the voltage of the system rises abruptly as charging current begins to flow to the battery. Some regulating means must, therefore, be used to protect the lamps and to provide i'or uniform illumination regardless of. whether the generator or the batteryis supplying the currenta An object ofthe invention is to Provide means for maintaining a normal voltage across each individual lamp or group of lampsregardless or whether the generator or battery is supplying 'the current.

Another object is tov provide automatic means for compensating ior rise in voltage ot the system during' battery charging period. v Two forms which invention may assuine are illustrated in the *accompanying drawings, in' which: l` n .l y

Figure l.illustratesdiagramm'atically one embodiment,

- llig.v 2 illustrates p modified Specieation of Letters latent. i

voltage.

Fig. Sillustrates a detail. f

Fig. l illustrates a generator l, a storage battery 2, a lamp group 3 and individual lamps 4 and 5 arranged in parallel branches across themains 6 and'7.

An automatic switch S of any preferred type is arranged in the generator lead 6 and lis preferably designed to connect the generator to the system when the generator voltage is substantially equal to the battery As automatic switches operating in this manner are well-known the connections or the operating coils have been omitted.

y A resistance 9 is arranged in series with each group of `lamps or each individual lamp and each resistance 9 is normally short cirmember le of the switch from main 6,

through conductor 15 and the various electro-magnets in-series 'to the main '7.

As the voltage of the system does not per` ceptibly rise until charging current begins to low to the battery', a perceptible flicker Patented July E, tgl?,

appucauon and January 7, une. serial no. 74eme.

in the lights may be caused by the insertion of the compensating resistance in advance oi' the voltage rise.

' Fig. 2 illustrates an arrangement in which the energization of the electro-magnets 13 is controlled by the dow of charging current i 'to the battery.

ln this arrangement a polarized relay is arranged in the battery circuit. rs long as the battery is discharging or the generator voltage is low to force current the battery, current through the bat tery cir# cuit will cause the polarized armature if! 1;'

of the relay to break contact between the armature contact Current flowing into the battery in a direction to charge earns will, however, cause the polarized mature to rnove to close contact between lever contact i8, thereby completing circuit for the electromagnets 13, through conductor 19, armature 17, contact 18 and conductor 20 to main 6.

When the invention is applied to individual lamps, as lamps 4 and 5, Which may be berth lamps, the electro-magnets 13 and the resistance 9 for each lamp may conveniently be arranged Within the lamp socket 21, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

By means of this invention the resistance in circuit is automatically regulated to the amount necessitated by the number of lamps in actual use and the introduction of the resistance is automatically accomplished when the automatic switch closes, as in Fig. 1, or when charging current begins toilow to the battery, as in Fig.

The systems herein described forv the purposes ot illustrating the invention, 'it being apparent, however, thatmany ether arrangements and modiiications may `be made which fall Within the' scope or' the invention which is dei'ined'in appended branch for controlling the resistance of each of the lamp branches.

2. In a carflighting system, in tion, a variable voltage generator,

combina a storage battery and a plurality of lamp circuits een,

nected in parallel branches across said generator, each of said lamp Acircuits having electromagnetic means ccperating there-` with to control the resistance thereof, and means in series in the battery branchresponsive solely to thevdirection or" current flow in said battery branch for controlling said electromagnetic means. 3. lnla car-lighting system, in combina- Leanser tion, a variable voltage generator, mains supplied thereby, a storage battery connected across said mains, a plurality of lamp circuits connected across said mains, each of said lamp circuits including a resistance, a plurality of electromagnetic devices connected in series, each of said electromagnetic devices being adapted to control the effectiveness of one or said resistances, and means responsive to the direction o? current flow through said storage battery tor conneet-ing said electromagnetic devices across said mains.

4. ln a car lighting system, a variable voltage generator, a storage battery intermittently charged thereby, independent groups of lamps supplied by said generator" When thebattery is being charged and by said battery alone when said generator is not charging said battery, a resistance in series with each group of lamps, an electromagnetic means associated with each resistance vto control the effectiveness thereof, and a polarized rela-y in the battery circuit for controlling said electromagnetic means.

5. ln a car lighting system, a variable voltage generator, a storage battery intermittently charged thereby, independent groups 'of lamps supplied by said generator when' the battery is charging and by said battery alone `when said generator is not charging said battery, a resistance in series `with each group of lamps, means normally short circuiting each resistance, an electromagnetici1 controlling each short circuiting means, and a polarized relay in the battery circuit to cause they energization ci said electro-magnets' when -current i'iows 'in' a ydirection techarge the battery.

:in Twitness whereof, l have hereunto subscribed iny name in the' presence or" two Witness'es. 

